[jira] [Commented] (LEGAL-133) Does an Apache Project with Patents pose legal risk for its users?

["Doug Cutting (JIRA)" <ji...@apache.org>]

    [ https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/LEGAL-133?page=com.atlassian.jira.plugin.system.issuetabpanels:comment-tabpanel&focusedCommentId=13913269#comment-13913269 ] 

Doug Cutting commented on LEGAL-133:
------------------------------------

> Company-A contributes code to Project-X under Apache License, and has patents on the technology contributed.

Please see section 3 of the Apache license:

http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0.html#patent

In general, when Company-A contributes to Apache Project-X it also must contribute a license to its patents on those contributions.  Company-B would thus generally have a license to those patents via the contribution under the Apache license.

See also the relevant FAQ:

http://www.apache.org/foundation/license-faq.html#PatentScope

> Does an Apache Project with Patents pose legal risk for its users?
> ------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>                 Key: LEGAL-133
>                 URL: https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/LEGAL-133
>             Project: Legal Discuss
>          Issue Type: Question
>            Reporter: Priyank Rastogi
>
> Company-A contributes code to Project-X under Apache License, and has patents on the technology contributed.
> This is permitted [e.g. Citrix having patents related to CloudStack].
> Company-B now downloads Project-X, and starts using it.
> Due to business reasons, Company-B forks Project-X, and starts maintaining a private branch with private changes [which is permissible under Apache License].
> Company-B is using the software commercially.
> Is this a patent violation?
> Note that there is no list of patents for Project-X maintained anywhere, and Company-B is not aware of Company-A patents which it may be infringing upon in private-fork of Project-X.



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